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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: straw · pitcher · row · pitch · perch · dip · saw · track

  1. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. track — a path
  5. row — a line
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. row — to paddle
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a song
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. pitch — completely
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. saw — the tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. perch — the fish
  22. saw — the tool
  23. dip — a sauce
  24. pitcher — a jug

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com